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First site of digestion.
First site of mechanical breakdown of food by mastication.
Chewing reflex cause the lower jaw to go up and down.
Most of the muscles of mastication are innervated by the trigeminal nerve.
The oral microbiome has approximately 700 bacterial species that have been identified in the human oral cavity.
Bacteria may colonize various sites in the human oral cavity, such as the gingiva, dental plaque, and tongue.
Pathogenic bacteria, including gram-negative species are not seen in the normal host, but may emerge in the elderly, as well as in patients in nursing homes or hospitals and those with nasogastric tubes.
The first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food and produces saliva.
The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth.
The beginning of the digestive system and also plays a significant role in communication.
The tongue, lips, and jaw are also needed to produce the range of sounds included in human language.
Consists of two regions, the vestibule and the oral cavity proper.
It is normally moist, is lined with a mucous membrane, and contains the teeth.
The lips mark the transition from mucous membrane to skin, which covers most of the body.
The vestibule is the area between the teeth, lips and cheeks.
The oral cavity is bounded at the sides and in front by the alveolar process, containing the teeth, and at the back by the isthmus of the fauces.
Its roof is formed by hard palate at the front, and a soft palate at the back.
The uvula projects downwards from the middle of the soft palate at its back.
The floor is formed by the mylohyoid muscles and is occupied mainly by the tongue.
The oral mucosa, lines the sides and under surface of the tongue to the gums, lining the inner aspect of the mandible.
The oral cavity receives the secretions from the submandibular and sublingual salivary glands.
The teeth and the tissues that support the teeth are innervated by the maxillary and mandibular divisions of the trigeminal nerve.
Maxillary teeth and their associated periodontal ligament are innervated by the superior alveolar nerves, branches of the maxillary division, termed the posterior superior alveolar nerve, anterior superior alveolar nerve, and the variably present middle superior alveolar nerve.
These nerves form the superior dental plexus above the maxillary teeth.
The mandibular teeth and their associated periodontal ligament are innervated by the inferior alveolar nerve, a branch of the mandibular division.
The inferior alveolar nerve, a branch of the mandibular division runs inside the mandible, within the inferior alveolar canal below the mandibular teeth, giving off branches to all the lower teeth.
The oral mucosa of the gums on the facial aspect of the maxillary incisors, canines and premolar teeth is innervated by the superior labial branches of the infraorbital nerve.
The posterior superior alveolar nerve supplies the gingiva on the facial aspect of the maxillary molar teeth.
The gingiva on the palatal aspect of the maxillary teeth is innervated by the greater palatine nerve apart from in the incisor region, where it is the nasopalatine nerve.
The gingiva of the lingual aspect of the mandibular teeth is innervated by the sublingual nerve, a branch of the lingual nerve.
The gingiva on the facial aspect of the mandibular incisors and canines is innervated by the mental nerve, the continuation of the inferior alveolar nerve emerging from the mental foramen.
The gingiva of the buccal aspect of the mandibular molar teeth is innervated by the buccal nerve (long buccal nerve).
The philtrum is the vertical groves in the upper lip, formed where the nasomedial and maxillary processes meet during embryo development.
The nasolabial folds are the deep creases of tissue that extend from the nose to the sides of the mouth.
It plays an important role in eating, chewing, biting, drinking, breathing and speaking.
Infants are born with a sucking reflex, by which they instinctively know to suck for nourishment using their lips and jaw.
A male mouth can hold, on average, 71.2 ml, while a female mouth can hold 55.4 ml.